Lt. Gen. Kim Rak-gyom is the former head of North Korea's Strategic Rocket Forces.[1][2]
Kim Rak-gyom | |
---|---|
Supreme Leader | Kim Jong-un |
Personal details | |
Citizenship | North Korean |
Nationality | Korean |
Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
Military service | |
Allegiance | North Korea |
Branch/service | Korean People's Army |
Rank | General |
Kim Rak-gyom | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 김락겸 |
---|---|
Revised Romanization | Gim Nakgyeom |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Rakkyŏm |
Along with Ju Kyu-chang, he was elected to the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Military Commission in April 2012.[3]
He is "the head of the strategic rocket forces"[4] and "in charge of ballistic missile launches".[5]
He was not present at an October 7, 2017, mass rally in Pyongyang and an October 11, 2017, celebration for the anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. According to a South Korean think tank, "There's little chance that Ri and Kim have been dismissed or purged because they've been praised for major achievements recently." and "It's highly likely that they were absent because they'd been given an important assignment."[5]
Kim was reportedly replaced by Kim Jong-gil in October 2020.[6]
The statement from KCTV is the first confirmation North Korea has replaced Strategic Force chief Kim Rak Gyom.